A Tradition of Comfort Food with Flair - original recipes, including gluten-free, nondairy, vegan and vegetarian as well as those for omnivores; classic comfort food prepared with care and the finest seasonal, sustainable and organic ingredients.

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29 January 2015

Do you ever get a craving for a little something sweet (and maybe chocolate), but there's nothing on hand and you're just not in the mood to make a big mess and a big batch of something? Maybe you're thinking a small pan of brownies wouldn't be much trouble, but you're out of eggs and butter. Well, here you go! Six chocolate cupcakes you can stir up quickly by hand in one bowl. No eggs, no butter, no milk? No muss, no fuss, no problem! It's the thing I love best about having a toaster oven. Sure I can bake big loaves of bread and 13-inch pizzas in it or cook a good-sized casserole, but what I'm really having fun with is developing recipes for quick and easy small-batch treats. I don't know about you, but there are a lot of us who really don't need to have two dozen cupcakes sitting around staring at us every time we walk through the room. Six is the perfect number, and the pan fits easily in the toaster oven. Actually, a full-size 12-cup muffin tin fits easily in it, but I don't need to have even one dozen cupcakes sitting around!My new Cuisinartconvection toaster oven broiler has lots of features I haven't figured out yet. Like convection and speed convection. I'm sure they're going to be really handy once I sort it all out.In the meantime, it's wonderful to be able to pull out of the freezer just enough frozen scoops of homemade OatmealCookiedough to fill the 13x9x1-inch pan that came with the oven. Or pop in a quick batch of six cupcakes. It just never felt right to heat up my big gas oven for such small amounts of food. If you want to frost the fluffy chocolate cupcakes as pictured, this recipe calling for just 3 tablespoons of butter (or something else, if you're vegan), makes precisely enough frosting for 6 cupcakes. I absolutely hate waste, and does anyone ever actually use the leftover frosting they put in the refrigerator? Better to make only what's needed!

2 In 1-quart bowl (I use a Pyrex 4-cup measuringcup), whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Add water or coffee, oil, vinegar and vanilla extract. Whisk vigorously for about 1 minute, or until smooth.

3 Using a scant 1/4-cup measure, fill the bake cups. You will need to scrape the bowl and measuring cup; there is no waste with this recipe! Bake at 350 degrees for 16 to 18 minutes, or until they test done witha toothpick.

4 Immediately remove from pan and cool on wire rack for an hour. They must be thoroughly cool before frosting.

5 In 1-quart bowl (I use a Pyrex 1-quart glass measure), with a hand mixer, cream the butter until smooth. With the mixer on low speed, gradually beat in the powdered sugar, cocoa and salt. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the vanilla extract and liquid; beat on high speed until frosting is light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. You will likely have to add the liquid ingredients before adding all the powdered sugar.

6 With a pastry bag fitted with a 2D tipor a 1M tip, pipe frosting on cupcakes.

Disclosure: Some posts
contain links to my affiliate account at Amazon.com. If you purchase something
from Amazon through one of my links, I receive a small commission, at no
additional cost to you, which I use toward the expenses of running this
blog. Thanks for
supporting Delightful Repast when you shop at Amazon!Though Cuisinart provided the oven, the opinions expressed at Delightful Repast are entirely my own. I always tell my readers what I really think!

24 comments:

I love chocolate and cupcakes! This recipe looks easy and yummy! I am doing the THM eating plan right now so I'd have to figure out a different flour, and use on plan sweetener, but Oh, I'd love a cupcake! ha ha!

I liked your comment on my blog today, and hadn't really thought about the fact that many people inherit things they don't like. That's very true!

Thanks, Deanna! I've baked with all kinds of flours: almond, coconut, tapioca, you name it; but I've never baked with a sugar (cane, maple, honey) substitute (stevia, etc). Do let me know how that works for you.

Re: “…and does anyone ever actually use the leftover frosting they put in the refrigerator?” Oh, yes. Yes, yes and yes. Yes. That is, if there was ever any left to put in the refrigerator, I would use it. To be sure. Sure, sure, sure. Frosting on salad, frosting on eggs, frosting on tuna fish – whatever is necessary will be done to make sure that frosting does not go to waste (I hate waste, too)! In fact, my revised recipe for cupcakes is to sprinkle the cake part onto those little paper cups full of frosting. There. And you thought I was against everything…

I love chocolate cupcakes - the main reason I don't make them is who's going to eat them? I can't... well, I can, but I shouldn't. Love that the "small-batch" idea behind this. You are one of my features for #FoodieFriDIY this week - going live tonight!

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Here you'll find original recipes that warm the body and the soul, recipes of the sort to become a family tradition in your family as well as mine. And I go outside the purview of food blogs with the occasional article about tea, wine and travel.